Skin exfoliation devices and kits

ABSTRACT

A hand held exfoliation device suitable for repeated use on a facial skin surface is provided. The exfoliation device includes a body and an exfoliating material attached thereto that is sized for application to a facial skin surface. The exfoliating material includes a substrate and an exfoliating surface. The exfoliating surface is formed from a plurality of particles, wherein the plurality of particles are attached to the substrate to form peaks and valleys thereon. The exfoliating material has a surface roughness S a  from about 2 μm to about 16 μm and the particles have an average Mohs hardness from about 4 to about 8.

TECHNICAL FIELD

Skin exfoliation devices are provided along with methods and kitsrelated thereto.

BACKGROUND

The process of removing dead skin cells, often referred to asexfoliation, has been practiced for a long time. Exfoliation can beaccomplished by a variety of means. Mechanical exfoliation typicallyinvolves the physical removal of skin cells by an abrasive. In someinstances, abrasive particles may be incorporated into a compositionthat is rubbed on the skin. In other instances, a mechanical device maybe used to scrub the skin. Some examples of various types of exfoliationmeans are described, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,255,704;7,297,668; 6,563,012 and 6,391,863 and U.S. Publication Nos.2007/0281033 and 2007/0264224.

Exfoliation is purported to provide a number of benefits including,removing dull, dry skin cells to reveal smoother and/or softer skin;simulating cell renewal and turnover rates; and facilitating hydrationand absorption of materials. While one or more of these benefits may berealized by exfoliation, it is possible to over exfoliate resulting inskin irritation and/or a drying of the skin. In addition, facial skinsurfaces may be more susceptible to over exfoliation, as facial skin maybe particularly sensitive compared to some other skin surfaces. Aparticular challenge associated with exfoliation is providing a meansfor sufficiently exfoliating facial skin surfaces without inducingirritation whilst providing enough exfoliation to improve thepenetration of cosmetic skin care agents, such as vitamins, peptides,retinoid compounds, botanicals, etc. in order to deliver an enhancedskin care benefit. Some examples of cosmetic skin care benefits includetreating fine lines and wrinkles (particularly in the periorbital area(e.g., to treat crow's feet) and the forehead), treating age spots andhyper pigmentation, and improving the hydration status or barrierproperties of facial skin.

While various skin exfoliation means and benefits are known, there is acontinuing desire to provide improved exfoliation devices, methods andkits relating thereto that are suitable for use on facial skin surfaces.There is also a continuing desire to provide improved exfoliationdevices and methods relating thereto which are relatively simple tomanufacture and can provide effective exfoliation without inducingsubstantial redness or irritation, particularly on sensitive facialskin. Further, there is a continuing desire to provide improvedexfoliation devices, methods and kits relating thereto that,additionally, enhance the penetration of cosmetic skin care agents intoskin surfaces. Still further, there is a continuing desire to provideimproved exfoliation devices, methods and kits relating thereto that areeffective and may be used across a range of consumer habits andpractices (e.g., applied pressure and/or number of strokes).

SUMMARY

In order to provide a solution to the problems above, a hand-heldexfoliation device is provided. The exfoliation device comprises a bodyand an exfoliating material attached thereto that is sized forapplication to a facial skin surface. The exfoliating material comprisesa substrate and an exfoliating surface. The exfoliating surface isformed from a plurality of particles, wherein the plurality of particlesare attached to the substrate to form peaks and valleys thereon. Theexfoliating material has a surface roughness S_(a) from about 2 μm toabout 16 μm and the particles have an average Mohs hardness from about 4to about 8.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

While the specification concludes with claims, it is believed that thesame will be better understood from the following description taken inconjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1A is a photograph of an abrasive material;

FIG. 1B is an Optical Coherence Tomography image of the abrasivematerial of FIG. 1A;

FIG. 1C is an Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) image of the abrasivematerial of FIG. 1A at 130× magnification;

FIG. 2A is a photograph of an abrasive material;

FIG. 2B is an SEM image of the abrasive material of FIG. 2A at 130×magnification;

FIG. 2C is an OCT image of the abrasive material of FIG. 2A;

FIG. 3A is a photograph of an abrasive material;

FIG. 3B is an SEM image of the abrasive material of FIG. 3A at 100×magnification;

FIG. 3C is an OCT image of the abrasive material of FIG. 3A;

FIG. 4A is a photograph of an abrasive material;

FIG. 4B is a OCT image of the abrasive material of FIG. 4A;

FIG. 5 is a SEM image of a portion of the surface of the abrasivematerial of FIG. 4A at 50× magnification;

FIG. 6 is an SEM image of a formation of particles of the material shownin FIG. 5 at a 500× magnification;

FIG. 7 is a SEM image of the formation of particles shown in FIG. 6 at800× magnification;

FIG. 8 is a SEM image of a random distribution of particles shown inFIG. 4A at 10,000× magnification;

FIG. 9 is perspective view of an exfoliation device;

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional side view of the exfoliation device of FIG.9, taken along line A-A thereof;

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of an embodiment of an exfoliation devicecomprising a rounded exfoliating surface;

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of an embodiment of an exfoliation devicecomprising a strap for attaching the exfoliation device to a finger; and

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of an embodiment of an exfoliation devicecomprising a hollow cylinder into which one or more fingers may beinserted.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

“Cosmetic skin care composition” means a composition suitable fortopical application to mammalian skin, which is intended to improve thecondition and/or appearance of the skin or otherwise provide a skin carebenefit. Some non-limiting examples of skin care benefits includeimproving skin appearance and/or feel by providing a smoother, more evenappearance and/or feel; increasing the thickness of one or more layersof the skin; improving the elasticity or resiliency of the skin;improving the firmness of the skin; reducing the oily, shiny, and/ordull appearance of skin, improving the hydration status ormoisturization of the skin, improving the appearance of fine linesand/or wrinkles, improving skin texture or smoothness, improving skinexfoliation or desquamation, plumping the skin, improving skin barrierproperties, improving skin tone, and/or improving the brightness,radiancy, or translucency of skin. Some non-limiting examples ofcosmetic skin care compositions include skin creams, moisturizers,lotions, and products that leave color on the face, such as foundationsand concealers.

“Dermatologically acceptable carrier” means any carrier that may beapplied topically to skin tissue. The dermatologically acceptablecarrier may be provided by a wide variety of materials and/or in a widevariety of forms including, but not limited to, simple solutions (e.g.,water-based or oil-based), solid forms (e.g., gels or sticks) andemulsions (e.g., water-in-oil or oil-in-water).

“Non-porous” means a material, substrate or surface that: i) lackspassageways that permit a liquid from passing from one side of thematerial to the other side of the material, and/or ii) does not absorban appreciable amount of water over a one hour period of time atstandard ambient temperature and pressure. In some embodiments, anappreciable amount of water is an amount greater than 5% by weight ofthe material, substrate, or surface.

“Surface roughness” refers to the 3D areal roughness of a surface andmay be quantified by the parameters S_(a), S_(q), S_(t), S_(tm), etc.,which are known in the art and defined in ISO 25178, the substance ofwhich is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. For example,S_(a) refers to the arithmetical mean height over a 3D surface. S_(q)refers to the RMS height over a 3D surface. S_(t) refers to maximumheight difference between the highest and the lowest points on theprofile, and S_(tm) refers to average of the S_(t) values (maximumheight differences between the highest and lowest heights).

“Topical” and variations thereof refer to compositions that are intendedto be applied directly to the outer surface of skin tissue.

Described hereafter are various embodiments of exfoliation devices andcosmetic skin care compositions suitable for use on facial skin. In someembodiments, the exfoliation device can provide a sufficient level ofexfoliation adequate to enhance penetration of a cosmetic skin careagent of the skin care composition while still providing anaesthetically pleasing feel. Preferably, the exfoliation devices canprovide these benefits even when used daily.

I. Surface Characteristics of some Abrasive Materials

A wide variety of abrasive materials are known in the art. However, muchis still not understood regarding the surface characteristics affectingboth the aesthetics and the level of exfoliation provided by a material,particularly when utilized according to typical consumer practices. Fourmaterials were investigated, including two materials formed from aplurality of fibers and two materials comprising abrasive particlesbonded to a substrate. Referring to FIGS. 1, 2, 3 and 4, photographicimages of the four tested materials are shown along with imagesgenerated by Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) of the materialsurfaces. Material #1 (FIGS. 1A, 1B, and 1C) is a porous, nylon wovenmesh formed by a plurality of fibers. The individual fibers appear torange in thickness from about 0.05 mm to about 0.08 mm. Material #2(FIGS. 2A, 2B, and 2C) is a non-porous, sandpaper-like materialcomprising abrasive particles formed from diamond embedded in a binderon a thin polyethylene terepthalate (PET) film. Material #3 (FIGS. 3A,3B and 3C) is a non-woven, porous cloth available under the tradenameExfolia from Beauty Cloth, Inc. Material #4 (FIGS. 4A and 4B) is anon-porous, film substrate to which are bonded cerium oxide particles.The cerium oxide particles have an average size of from about 0.25microns to about 1 micron.

Example 1, which is described in more detail below, sets forth amethodology suitable for measuring surface roughness of a material.Surface roughness of a material may be characterized using aninterferometric measurement device that utilizes light to measure avariety of surface area roughness parameters such as S_(a), S_(t), andS_(tm). One such device is the DermaTop-Blue device available fromBreuckmann GmbH (Germany), which utilizes a narrow-band, blue lightsource. Other test methods and devices may also be employed, as known inthe art, to measure surface roughness parameters according to ISO 25178.Table 1 sets forth a summary of the average surface roughness values (inmicrons) measured for Materials #1 to #4.

TABLE 1 Material S_(a) S_(q) S_(t) S_(tm) #1 187 253 3918 1491 #2 19 23167 130 #3 19 24 178 113 #4 10 11 60 48

As illustrated in Table 1, Material #1 had the highest surface roughnessvalues, while Material #4 had the lowest values.

II. In Vivo Testing

Referring to Example 2 below, Materials #1 to #4 were tested in vivo andthe amount of protein removed by use of the materials was measured usinga protein quantification assay. Protein removal is believed to be aproxy for measuring the amount of exfoliation achieved by a material.Protein quantification assays utilize a fluorogenic reaction betweenproteins and a reducing reagent to quantify the amount of proteins inthe sample. The users applied small samples of the abrasive materials todry forearm skin (e.g., without prior application of a skin carecomposition, which can act as a lubricant) by applying five strokes ofthe material over a two inch area of the forearm skin, after which theresidual skin on the material surface was harvested and quantified usingthe protein quantification assay. In addition, comments were collectedfrom the users about the skin feel of the abrasive materials.

The results from the in vivo testing of the four materials, includingboth the protein quantification values and an example of the usercomments are summarized in Table 2 below.

TABLE 2 Protein Removed Material (μg/ml) Some User Comments Material #1247 Very rough Material #2 120 Scratchy Material #3 129 Very softMaterial #4 256 Excellent feel, abrasive yet soft

Surprisingly, while Materials #2 and #4 were both formed from abrasiveparticles bonded to a substrate, the user perception of the materialswas quite different. While not intending to be bound by theory, thedifference in user perception could be due to the higher surfaceroughness of Material #2 (see, e.g., Table 1) and/or a difference in thehardness and/or shape of the abrasive particles. Material #2 containedamorphous diamond particles, which have a Mohs hardness of 10, incontrast to Material #4 which contained cerium oxide particles, whichhave a Mohs hardness of 6. The lower surface roughness values and/orparticle hardness of Material #4 appear to produce a more pleasingaesthetic benefit when rubbed against skin. Without intending to bebound by any theory, the disparate protein removal results betweenMaterial #2 and #4 might be explained by potential user self regulation,which may occur in instances where a user adjusts the amount of forceapplied to the exfoliating material to account for differences inmaterial feel. Notably, Material #4 also had the greatest amount ofprotein removal, followed closely by Material #1, despite the observeddifferences in surface roughness. Interestingly, the amount of proteinremoval by Material #4 was more than double that of Material #2 andalmost double that of Material #3 despite Materials #2 and #3 havinghigher surface roughness values. With regard to Material #3, while italso had higher surface roughness values than Material #4, the highersurface roughness was apparently not sufficient to overcome the inherentflexibility provided by the fiber construction and this might havecontributed to the lower protein removal value compared to Material #4.

III. In Vitro Penetration of Skin Care Agents

While Materials #1 and #4 may provide superior protein removal comparedto Materials #2 and #3, this does not necessarily quantify the impactthat this level of exfoliation may have on skin penetration of cosmeticsagents. For example, the depth of localized protein removal and/or theamount of surface area removed can impact the amount of skin penetrationof a cosmetic agent even though the total removed protein is about thesame. Referring to Example 3, which is described in more detail below,samples of Materials #1 and #4 were also tested in vitro using humancadaver skin to assess the penetration of radio-labeled niacinamide intothe skin following application of the abrasive materials. Penetration ofthe radio labeled niacinamide into the cadaver skin was assessed using aFranz diffusion cell system, which is a well known device in the art formeasuring skin penetration of compounds. The abrasive materials wereapplied to the cadaver skin for 10 strokes (5 strokes in one directionand 5 strokes in reverse) using 50, 100, and 200 grams of force, whichis within the range believed to be customary for consumer habits andpractices, as discussed in Example 4 below. Table 3 summarizes the totalpercentage dose of niacinamide recovered from the epidermis, dermis, andthe Franz cell receptor, twenty-four hours after application of Material#1 to six cadaver skin replicates, and the total percentage doserecovered for an untreated (i.e., not abraded) control tissue sample.

TABLE 3 Material #1 Control 50 grams 100 grams 200 grams Sample #1 70.3173.87 99.42 98.65 Sample #2 45.79 92.72 85.32 92.88 Sample #3 71.5065.56 82.75 95.98 Sample #4 78.66 99.52 96.62 98.57 Sample #5 74.6291.19 96.71 Sample #6 74.19 54.95 88.59 Avg 66.57 80.08 85.04 95.23 Stdv14.33 13.05 16.06 3.88 p-value 0.160 0.100 0.0013

Table 4 summarizes the total percentage dose of niacinamide recoveredfrom the epidermis, dermis, and the Franz cell receptor, twenty-fourhours after application of Material #4 to six cadaver skin replicates,and the total percentage dose recovered for an untreated (i.e., notabraded) control tissue sample. While Material #4 did not perform quiteas well as Material #1, it provided a more consistent level of skinpenetration enhancement across the applied forces while importantlyproviding a more aesthestically pleasing skin feel in vivo than Material#1.

TABLE 4 Material #4 Control 50 grams 100 grams 200 grams Sample #1 70.3189.00 73.81 67.51 Sample #2 45.79 83.95 76.91 85.23 Sample #3 71.5082.22 65.07 71.73 Sample #4 78.66 52.17 94.36 71.46 Sample #5 48.2491.05 94.21 Sample #6 91.87 69.23 90.40 Avg 66.57 74.58 78.40 80.09 Stdv14.33 19.23 11.83 11.27 p-value 0.499 0.190 0.132

Abrasion of the cadaver skin samples by Materials #1 and #4 increasedthe total average percentage dose of niacinamide recovered acrossapplied forces compared to the untreated control. Skin samples abradedby Material #1 exhibited more niacinamide penetration than observed forskin samples abraded by Material #4.

The amount of protein removed by the abrasive materials from the cadaverskin samples was also quantified for three of the replicates using aprotein quantification assay. Tables 5 and 6 set forth the quantity ofprotein measured.

TABLE 5 Protein Protein Protein removed removed removed Material #1(mg/ml) (mg/ml) (mg/ml) Samples 50 grams 100 grams 200 grams 1 171 217243 2 176 209 245 3 172 207 234 Avg 173 211 241 Stdv 3.0 5.0 6.0

TABLE 6 Protein Protein Protein removed removed removed Material #4(mg/ml) (mg/ml) (mg/ml) Samples 50 grams 100 grams 200 grams 1 140 176153 2 141 174 148 3 142 180 149 Avg 141 177 150 Stdv 1.0 3.0 2.0

The niacinamide recovery data of Tables 3 and 4 appear consistent withprotein recovery data of Tables 5 and 6, wherein both the averageniacinamide and protein recoveries for skin samples abraded by Material#4 showed a less pronounced increase with increasing force compared toskin samples abraded by Material #1.

IV. Exfoliating Materials

From a review of the data in Tables 1 and 2, it appears there is aco-dependent interplay between material feel, material properties, andthe amount of exfoliation produced in vivo. First with respect tofiberous Materials #1 and #3, Material #1 provided the best proteinremoval but had a negative aesthetic feel compared to Material #3. WhileMaterial #3 had a pleasing aesthetic feel, it did not provide the bestprotein removal in vivo. Thus, while these materials might be used forfacial skin exfoliation, they did not provide the best combination ofattributes. Comparing Materials #2 and #4, Material #2 provided neitherthe best protein removal nor the best aesthetic skin feel. As betweenall the tested materials, Material #4 provided the best combination ofaesthetic skin feel and in vivo protein removal.

Comparing Tables 1 and 2, it appears that surface roughness alone doesnot characterize the exfoliation capability of Materials #2 and #4, asMaterial #2, which had the higher surface roughness values, provided alower protein removal value in vivo compared to Material #4, contrary towhat might have been intuitively expected beforehand. In contrast,Material #4, which had the lowest lower surface roughness values of allfour materials generated the greatest amount of protein removal in vivo(Table 3). It is believed that, in instances where an exfoliatingmaterial comprises particles on a substrate, particle/material hardnessin combination with surface roughness may be co-dependent propertiesaffecting aesthetic feel and the level of skin exfoliation. As describedabove, Material #2 is formed from amorphous diamond particles (Mohshardness=10) compared to Material #4 which is formed from cerium oxideparticles (Mohs hardness=6). It is believed that the harder particles ofMaterial #2 contributed to, at least in part, user self regulation thateffectively limited the amount of exfoliation provided by Material #2 invivo.

In order to provide exfoliation that quantitatively enhances penetrationof a skin care agent while providing a pleasing aesthetic feel, it isbelieved that exfoliating materials comprising a substrate and particleshaving certain properties may be particularly useful in some instances.In some embodiments, these exfoliating materials have one or more of anarithmetical mean height of the surface (S_(a)) greater than 2, 4, 6, 8,10 μm and/or less than 16, 14, 12, or 10 μm; and/or a root mean squareheight of the surface (Sq) greater than 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 μm and/or lessthan 16, 14, 12, or 10 μm; and/or a maximum height difference betweenthe highest and the lowest points on the profile (S_(t)) greater than20, 40, 60 μm and/or less than 140, 120, 100, or 80 μm; and/or an S_(tm)value greater than 20, 40, or 60 μm and/or less than 100, 80, or 60 μm.

In some embodiments, the particles have an average Mohs hardness greaterthan 4, 5, 6, or 7 and/or less than 8, 7, or 6. Mohs harness is anordinal scale (1 to 10) that measures mineral hardness based on theability of one mineral to scratch another. Talc is an example of amineral with the lowest Mohs hardness (designated as 1), and a diamondhas a Mohs hardness of 10 since it is one of the hardest minerals. Theexfoliating material may also contain a mixture of a plurality ofdifferent particles (e.g., cerium oxide and diamond) having differentMohs hardness values. Some of the particles may have Mohs hardnessvalues above and/or below what is described herein. If a mixture ofparticles is used, the average Mohs hardness of the combination ofparticles may be approximated by a weighted average based on theparticle concentrations attached to or deposited on the substrate.

In some embodiments, the exfoliating material is non-porous (meaningboth the exfoliating surface and the substrate are non-porous). In someembodiments, only the surface of the exfoliating material that is usedto exfoliate the skin is non-porous, but the substrate may be porous.For example, the substrate may be provided as a porous woven ornon-woven while the exfoliating surface formed by the binder andplurality of particles is non-porous and/or a solid surface. In someembodiments, the exfoliating surface is porous and the substrate isnon-porous. In some embodiments, the exfoliating surface and/orsubstrate and/or the exfoliating material are devoid of fibers. In someembodiments, the exfoliating material, exfoliating surface, and/orsubstrate are provided in a flexible form to facilitate attachment tocomplex geometries of an exfoliation device.

A wide variety of rough materials comprising particles are suitable foruse with the exfoliating devices described herein. While Material #4 isdescribed herein as one example, it will be appreciated that othermaterials are equally suitable and are described herein. Referring toFIGS. 5 to 8, scanning electron microscopy images from a sample ofMaterial #4 are shown at various magnifications. FIG. 5 shows a portionof the material at 50× magnification, while FIG. 6 shows a portion ofthe surface at 500× magnification. FIG. 7 is an 800× magnification of anagglomeration of particles on the material surface. FIG. 8 is a 10,000×magnification of a portion of the material surface. The materialcomprises irregularly shaped cerium oxide particles bonded to asubstrate by an epoxy resin. Some of the particles are agglomerated intolarger formations, one of which is shown in FIG. 7. The largerformations may have a size greater than 75 microns or from about 75microns to about 150 microns. In some embodiments, there may be fromabout 1000 to about 50,000 agglomerated formations per 1 mm² of materialsurface area. Some of the particles may range in size from 0.25 micronsto about 1 micron. In some embodiments, a majority of the particles mayrange in size from 0.25 microns to about 1 micron.

While Material #4 comprises cerium oxide particles, other abrasiveparticles such as other oxides, diamonds, zirconium alumina, siliconcarbide, garnet, emery, cubic boron nitride, nut shells, andcombinations thereof may be substituted in whole or part. In addition,the particles may be solid, hollow, irregularly shaped or have a moredefined geometrical shape (e.g., trapezoidal, spherical, etc.) thanshown in the FIGS. 5 to 8. The abrasive particles may be randomlydistributed or provided in a regular/repeating pattern. The abrasiveparticles may or may not be agglomerated into larger formations as shownby way of example in FIG. 7. In addition, at least some of the abrasiveparticles may have a particle size smaller than 0.25 or greater than 1micron.

The abrasive particles may be cast, molded or otherwise attached to asubstrate using a binder or adherent, as known in the art, therebyforming an exfoliating surface comprising peaks and valleys. Somemethods which may be suitable for forming the exfoliating materialsherein are described, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 8,038,751;7,947,097; 7,993,420; 7,811,342; 8,062,394; and U.S. Publication No.2011/0162287. Some examples of binders which may be suitable for useinclude epoxy resins, polyester resins, acrylonitile, cyanoacylate,resorcinol, polysulfides, polypropylene, silicone, polyvinylpyrrolindone, and polystyrene cement/butanone. Binders may be heatcuring (e.g., epoxies, urethanes and polyimides), moisture curing (e.g.,cyanoacylate, urethanes) or thermosetting (e.g., epoxy, urethanes,cyanoacylates and acrylic polymers). In some embodiments, the substratemay be a film formed from a polymer or mixture of polymers, paper,fabric, nonwovens, and combinations thereof. Some polymers suitable forforming a film include polyester or polypropylene. In some embodiments,the substrate may have a thickness greater than 0.02, 0.04, or 0.06 mmand/or less than about 0.5, 0.4, 0.3, 0.2, or 0.1 mm. In someembodiments, the exfoliating material is thin, for example having anoverall thickness from about 0.01 mm to about 0.1 mm or from about 0.02mm to about 0.05 mm.

V. Exfoliating Devices

Referring to FIGS. 9 and 10, one embodiment of an exfoliation devicewill now be described. The exfoliation device 10 comprises a body 12 anda facial skin contacting surface 14 formed at least partially from anexfoliating material 16. The exfoliating material 16 may be attached toa portion of the body 12 by any suitable means known in the art,including by use of an adhesive. A portion of the body 12 can beprovided in the form of a disc, although it will be appreciated that awide variety of shapes and sizes for the body 12 may be provided. Thebody 12 may further comprise an elongate handle 18, which in oneembodiment may be directed upwardly away from the disc shaped portion ofthe body 12. The handle 18 may be sized to be comfortably grasped by ahand so that the exfoliating device 10 may be hand held during use. Theexfoliating material 16 may be provided in the form of a substantiallyflat, thin sheet. In some embodiments, the exfoliating material 16 has asurface area from about 5 mm² to about 100 mm² or from about 10 mm² toabout 50 mm², so as to provide a surface suitable for engaging a varietyof facial skin surfaces. The exfoliating material 16 may be provided ina wide variety of shapes, circular being shown as one example in FIGS. 9and 10.

Referring to FIG. 11, another embodiment of an exfoliating device isshown. The exfoliating device 100 comprises a body 120 and a threedimensional facial skin contacting surface 140 (as opposed to thesubstantially flat or planar contacting surface 14 illustrated in FIGS.9 and 10). The facial skin contacting surface 140 may be provided in apartially rounded, cylindrical, or hemispherical shape. At least aportion of the facial skin contacting surface 140 has a plurality ofabrasive particles 144 attached thereto to form peaks and valleys. Insome embodiments, the facial skin contacting surface 140 comprises aflexible and/or resilient material such as, for example, a foammaterial. The abrasive particles 144 may be applied to at least aportion of the facial skin contacting surface 140 using a variety ofprocesses. In one method, an adhesive, such as a cyanoacylate glue, maybe applied to the substrate and the abrasive particles 144 may beelectrostatically deposited onto the surface. The exfoliating materialproperties may be varied by controlling the abrasive particles 144 sizes(e.g., via sieving), the electrostatic charge and/or the depositiontime. In some embodiments, the abrasive particles 144 may be ceriumoxide. In other embodiments, a 3D exfoliating surface may be provided byadhering a flexible exfoliating material to a 3D surface, such as thesurface 140 shown in FIG. 11.

Referring to FIG. 12, yet another embodiment of an exfoliating device200 is shown. The exfoliating device 200 comprises a body 220 and afacial skin contacting surface 240. The exfoliating device 200 is thesame as the exfoliating device 10 shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, except thatthe handle 18 is replaced by one or more flexible straps 218 thru whicha user may insert one or more fingers to retain the exfoliating device200 about the finger(s) during use.

In yet another embodiment, the exfoliating device 300 may be provided inthe form of a hollow cylinder or tube (FIG. 13) into which at least onefinger may be inserted. The hollow cylinder may be closed at one end 310and have an opening 312 at the opposite end. An exfoliating material 314may be attached to or otherwise formed adjacent the end 310.

The exfoliating devices may be formed from a wide variety of materialsaccording to any appropriate forming process, as known in the art. Forexample, in some embodiments, all or a portion of the exfoliating devicemay be formed from a polymeric material by injection molding. Theexfoliating devices may or may not include an electrical power source(such as a battery) and/or an electric motor for moving the exfoliatingmaterial. In some embodiments, however, the exfoliating material mayprovide sufficient exfoliation without the need for an electric motor,for example, through manual movement by a user. While exfoliatingdevices 10, 100, 200 and 300 have been described as some examplessuitable for use with the exfoliating materials and surfaces describedherein, it will be appreciated that other exfoliating devices may beequally well suited for use with these materials and surfaces.

VI. Cosmetic Skin Care Compositions

The exfoliating devices described herein may be used in combination withone or more cosmetic skin care compositions suitable for topicalapplication to a facial skin surface. The cosmetic skin care compositionmay comprise one or more cosmetics agents and a dermatologicallyacceptable carrier.

The cosmetic skin agents may be any agent that provides an efficaciousand/or consumer desirable skin benefit. A wide variety of cosmeticagents may be included in the cosmetic skin care compositions, as knownin the art. Some suitable agents may include, but are not limited to,sugar amines, vitamins, oil control agents, moisturizers, photosterols,hexamidine compounds, skin tightening agents, anti-wrinkle agents,flavonoids, hydroxyl acids, N-acyl amino acid compounds, retinoids,peptides, anti-cellulite agents, desquamation agents, anti-acne agents,anti-oxidants, radical scavengers, anti-inflammatory agents, skinlightening agents, botanical extracts, antimicrobials, antifungalagents, antibacterial agents, and combinations thereof. Examples ofthese materials are provided in U.S. Patent Publication Nos.2007/0185038; 2006/0275237; 2004/0175347; and 2006/0263309. The cosmeticskin care composition may comprise from about 0.0001%, 0.001%, 0.01%,0.05%, 0.1%, 0.5%, 1%, 2%, or 3% to about 30%, 25%, 20%, 15%, 10%, 7%,5%, 3%, 2%, or 1%, by weight based on the weight of the composition, ofone or more skin care agents.

Examples of sugar amines that are useful herein include glucosamine,N-acetyl glucosamine, mannosamine, N-acetyl mannosamine, galactosamine,N-acetyl galactosamine, their isomers (e.g., stereoisomers), and theirsalts (e.g., HCl salt).

“Vitamins” means vitamins, pro-vitamins, and their salts, isomers andderivatives. Non-limiting examples of suitable vitamins include: vitaminB compounds (including B1 compounds, B2 compounds, B3 compound, B5compounds, such as panthenol or “pro-B5”, pantothenic acid, pantothenyl;B6 compounds, such as pyroxidine, pyridoxal, pyridoxamine; carnitine,thiamine, riboflavin); vitamin A compounds, and all natural and/orsynthetic analogs of Vitamin A, including retinoids, retinol, retinylacetate, retinyl palmitate, retinoic acid, retinaldehyde, retinylpropionate, carotenoids (pro-vitamin A), and other compounds whichpossess the biological activity of Vitamin A; vitamin D compounds;vitamin K compounds; vitamin E compounds, or tocopherol, includingtocopherol sorbate, tocopherol acetate, tocopherol succinate, otheresters of tocopherol and tocopheryl compounds; vitamin C compounds,including ascorbate, ascorbyl esters of fatty acids, and ascorbic acidderivatives, for example, ascorbyl phosphates such as magnesium ascorbylphosphate and sodium ascorbyl phosphate, ascorbyl glucoside, andascorbyl sorbate; and vitamin F compounds, such as saturated and/orunsaturated fatty acids.

In certain embodiments, the cosmetic skin care compositions may comprisea vitamin B3 compound. As used herein, “vitamin B3 compound” means acompound having the formula:

wherein R is —CONH₂ (i.e., niacinamide), —COOH (i.e., nicotinic acid) or—CH2OH (i.e., nicotinyl alcohol); derivatives thereof; and salts of anyof the foregoing.

As used herein, “peptide” refers to peptides containing ten or feweramino acids and their derivatives, isomers, and complexes with otherspecies such as metal ions (e.g., copper, zinc, manganese, magnesium,and the like). Peptide refers to both naturally occurring andsynthesized peptides. Also useful herein are naturally occurring andcommercially available compositions that contain peptides. The peptidesmay contain at least one basic amino acid (e.g., histidine, lysine,arginine). Peptide derivatives useful herein include lipophilicderivatives such as palmitoyl derivatives. In one embodiment, thepeptide is selected from palmitoyl-lys-thr-thr-lys-ser,palmitoyl-gly-his-lys, their derivatives, and combinations thereof.

Polyphenolic compounds include flavonoids such as those broadlydisclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,686,082. Exemplary flavonoids include oneor more flavones, one or more isoflavones, one or more coumarins, one ormore chromones, one or more dicoumarols, one or more chromanones, one ormore chromanols, isomers (e.g., cis/trans isomers) thereof, and mixturesthereof.

In certain embodiments, the cosmetic compositions herein may include oneor more suitable dermatologically acceptable carriers. The carriers maybe provided in a wide variety of forms. In some embodiments, the carriercomprises water and/or water miscible solvents. The carrier may bepresent at an amount of from 1% to 95% by weight, based on the weight ofthe composition (e.g., from 1%, 3%, 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, 25%, 30%, 35%,40%, 45%, 50%, 55%, 60%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, or 85% to 90%, 85%, 80%,75%, 70%, 65%, 60%, 55%, 50%, 45%, 40%, 35%, 30%, 25%, 20%, 15%, 10%, or5%). Suitable water miscible solvents include monohydric alcohols,dihydric alcohols, polyhydric alcohols, glycerol, glycols, polyalkyleneglycols such as polyethylene glycol, and mixtures thereof. When thecosmetic composition is in the form of an emulsion, the water and/orwater miscible solvents are typically associated with the aqueous phaseof the emulsion.

The dermatologically acceptable carrier may also comprise one or moresuitable oils. The oils may be volatile or nonvolatile oils. Volatileoils suitable for use herein may have a viscosity ranging from 0.5 to 5centistokes (cSt) at 25° C. Volatile oils may be used to promote morerapid drying of the skin care composition after it is applied to skin.Nonvolatile oils may be included to provide emolliency and protectivebenefits to the skin. In certain embodiments, the cosmetic compositionsmay include one or more suitable silicone oils such as, for example, oneor more polysiloxanes. Other silicone oils that may be suitable for usein the cosmetic compositions herein include cyclic silicones. In certainembodiments, hydrocarbon oils (e.g., straight, branched, or cyclicalkanes and alkenes) may be included in the present cosmeticcompositions. Other suitable oils include amides (e.g., compounds havingan amide functional group while being liquid at 25° C. and insoluble inwater) and ethers.

The dermatologically acceptable carrier may also comprise an emulsifier.An emulsifier may be desirable when the composition is provided in theform of an emulsion or if immiscible materials are being combined. Thecosmetic compositions herein may include from 0.05%, 0.1%, 0.2%, 0.3%,0.5%, or 1% to 20%, 10%, 5%, 3%, 2%, or 1% emulsifier. Emulsifiers maybe nonionic, anionic or cationic. Linear or branched type siliconeemulsifiers may also be used. Emulsifiers also include emulsifyingsilicone elastomers. Suitable silicone elastomers may be in the powderform, or dispersed or solubilized in solvents such as volatile ornonvolatile silicones, or silicone compatible vehicles such asparaffinic hydrocarbons or esters. Silicone gums are another oil phasestructuring agent. Another type of oily phase structuring agent includessilicone waxes. Silicone waxes may be referred to as alkyl siliconewaxes and are semi-solids or solids at room temperature.

Optionally, the cosmetic skin care composition may further comprise asunscreen active. Sunscreen actives include both sunscreen agents andphysical sunblocks. Sunscreen actives may be organic or inorganic. Awide variety of conventional sunscreen actives may be used. Sagarin, etal., at Chapter VIII, pages 189 et seq., of Cosmetics Science andTechnology (1972), discloses numerous suitable actives. The sunscreenactive may be present at an amount of from 1% to 20%, or from 2% to 10%by weight based on the weight of the composition. Exact amounts may varydepending upon the sunscreen chosen and the desired Sun ProtectionFactor (SPF).

The skin care compositions may be generally prepared by conventionalmethods such as known in the art of making compositions and topicalcompositions. Such methods typically involve mixing of ingredients in ormore steps to a relatively uniform state, with or without heating,cooling, application of vacuum, and the like. Typically, emulsions areprepared by first mixing the aqueous phase materials separately from thefatty phase materials and then combining the two phases as appropriateto yield the desired continuous phase.

The cosmetic skin care composition may be provided in a package sized tostore a sufficient amount of the composition for a treatment period. Thesize, shape, and design of the package may vary widely. Certain packageexamples are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. D570,707; D391,162; D516,436;D535,191; D542,660; D547,193; D547,661; D558,591; D563,221;2009/0017080; 2007/0205226; and 2007/0040306. In addition oralternatively, the exfoliating devices described herein may be packagedas a kit with one or more cosmetic skin care compositions suitable foruse on a facial skin surface with the exfoliating device.

VII. Methods of Use

The exfoliating devices disclosed herein may be applied to one or morefacial skin surfaces as part of a user's routine involving theapplication of one or more cosmetic skin care compositions thereto.Additionally or alternatively, the exfoliating devices and cosmetic skincare compositions herein may be used on an “as needed” basis. In someembodiments, the exfoliating device may be applied to the facial skinsurface before application of one or more cosmetic skin carecompositions. In other embodiments, the cosmetic skin care compositionmay be applied to the facial skin surface using the exfoliating device.For example, the cosmetic skin care composition might be applied to theexfoliating material and then the exfoliating material and the cosmeticskin care composition might be simultaneously applied to the facial skinsurface. In still other embodiments, the cosmetic skin care compositionmay be dispensed by the exfoliating device onto the facial skin surfaceduring use. In some embodiments, particular areas of the facial skin maybe identified as being in need of a skin care benefit that can beprovided by topical application of a cosmetic skin care composition, andit is then desirable to apply an exfoliating device to the skin area inneed of treatment in order to enhance penetration of a cosmetic agent inthe cosmetic skin care composition.

In some embodiments, the exfoliating device may be applied to the facialskin surface at least once per day, twice per day, or three times perday for a period of 7, 14, 21, or 28 days or more. During each use, oneor more facial skin surfaces may be exfoliated using the device, whereinthe facial skin surface is subjected to a plurality of repetitivemotions of the exfoliating device across the facial skin surface. Incertain embodiments, the exfoliating device may be applied to the facialskin surface between 2 and about 10 strokes during each use.

VIII. Examples and Test Methods

The following are non-limiting examples and/or test methods relating tovarious aspects of the methods, devices, and kits described herein. Theexamples are given solely for the purpose of illustration and are not tobe construed as limiting the invention, as many variations thereof arepossible.

EXAMPLE 1 Surface Roughness Measurements

This Example describes a method for measuring the surface roughness of amaterial. Other suitable methods and devices may be employed, as knownin the art. In this example, a DermaTop-Blue device, available fromBreuckmann GmbH (Germany), was utilized for measuring the surfaceroughness of Materials #1 to #4 described above. The DermaTop-Bluedevice has a measurement field of 40 mm×30 mm, a depth of measuringvolume of 20 mm, a resolution of 1280×1024 pixels, a depth resolution of4 μm, a lateral resolution of 15 μm, and a measurement points distanceof 30 μm. The software version was DermaTop Ver. 3.1.09. The followingparameters were selected for the measurements.

[Application]

-   TYPE=Wrinkles-   LPC=NO-   Align_TASK=Global-   check_Expression=Yes-   Enhance=NO-   Sorting_Mode=SOI-   Par_Rotation_Side_link=YES

[Acquisition]

-   ZOOM=1-   AUTOEXPOSURE=Yes-   AOI-MASK=Square-   Visualization-3D=2-   REPLICA-MAS K=None-   Sensor-Volume=No-   Help_PopUp=Yes

[Processing]

-   PROCESS_FILTER=Hair-   Filter_Weight=Medium-   Levelling=POLYNOM 3.ORDER-   Extract-Eyebag=No-   SOLINVERT=NO-   SOI_XSIZE=10-   SOI_YSIZE=10-   XOffset=0-   YOffset=0-   Rotation=0-   Rotation_link=NO-   SnapShot_SOI=Single-   Save_Texture=NO-   SOI_ASCII-EXPORT=NO

[Evaluation]

-   SOI-Filter=Low-   CUTOFF-FILTER=Gauss-   CUTOFF=2.5-   Save-Cutoff-SOI=NO-   ROUGHNESS-2D=YES-   TARGET-2D=Original-   PROFILE-TYPE=PARALLEL-   Profile-Dir=Auto-   NB-PROFILES=50-   ROUGHNESS-3D=YES-   TARGET-3D=Original

A 10 mm×10 mm square area of each of Materials 1 to 4 was measured forthe surface profile. Average values for S_(a), S_(q), S_(t), and S_(tm)were calculated by the software for the sampled areas of each Material.The average values (in microns) are summarized in Table 1 above.

EXAMPLE 2 In Vivo Testing of Four Materials

In this Example, samples of Materials #1 to #4 were tested by six testsubjects. Each test subject treated a small forearm area (dry, withoutthe addition of a topical composition) with approximately a 12 mmdiameter sample of the abrasive material for 5 strokes using a devicesimilar to that shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 along a 152 mm×25 mm area of theforearm. The skin exfoliated by the material was harvested and theamount of protein quantitated using a protein assay. Table 2 above setsforth the results of the protein assay.

The following protein assay procedure was used to generate the resultsset forth in Table 2. First, the exfoliated skin was harvested from thesurface of the abrasive material by placing the abrasive surface in a1.5 mL Eppendorf tube containing 1.5 mL of saline. The samples werevortexed for 3 minutes. The harvested samples were placed in a 16 mLcentrifuge tube with saline added. The sample was agitated with a Vortexmixer and centrifuged at 20,000 RPM for 30 minutes. The supernatant wasthen removed and discarded leaving the bottom 2 ml in the tube alongwith the skin sample. The skin sample was then washed with 50/50MeOH/H2O by adding 4 mL of 50/50 MeOH/H2O, vortexing to mix and thenadding another 8 mL to fill tube. The skin sample was then centrifugedfor another 30 minutes at 20,000 RPM. This process was repeated 3 times.The sample was then transferred to a 2 mL centrifuge vial andcentrifuged for 30 minutes at 13,000 RPM. The supernatant was thenremoved and discarded leaving the bottom 0.5 mL in the tube along withthe sample. This process was repeated until the original centrifuge tubewas clean of all samples. The sample was then dried in an oven set at60° C. overnight. When dry, 1 mL of 0.1N NaOH was added to each samplevial and digested at 95° C. overnight. The sample was centrifuged at13,000 RPM for 30 minutes and 25 μl of the sample pipetted in triplicateto 96-well plate for the protein assay.

The protein assay can be performed using any suitable quantitation kit,as known in the art. One example is the AnaLyte OPA Protein QuantitationKit (Catalog #71015) available from AnaSpec, Inc. of San Jose, Calif.,USA. This kit is designed to detect protein concentration usingo-pthaladehye (OPA) as a sensitive fluorimetric indicator. OPA in thepresence of a reducing agent reacts with an α-amino acid to form anintense blue fluorescent product, which can be read by fluorescencemicroplate reader or fluorometer (e.g., SpectraMax Plus 384 availablefrom Molecular Devices, LLC of CA, USA) capable of detecting emission at440-480 nm with an excitation at 335-345 nm. The quantity of protein inthe assay solution may be determined from the fluorescence, as known inthe art.

EXAMPLE 3 In Vitro Measurement of Niacinamide Penetration

This Example describes the measurement of niacinamide penetration thruhuman cadaver skin using a Franz diffusion cell assay following abradingof six replicate skin samples by Material #1 and six replicate skinsamples by Material #4. Split-thickness human cadaver skin (Allosource,Englewood, Colo.) was thawed at ambient conditions, cut intoappropriately sized sections resulting in six test samples plus sixcontrol samples. A 20 to 25 cm² cadaver skin sample was fixed at eachend and each abrasive surface (31.75 mm diameter circle) was placedagainst the skin with a 50, 100 or 200 gm weight. The weighted abrasivesurface was dragged across the cadaver skin for five strokes in onedirection and then five strokes in the perpendicular direction. This wasrepeated for six skin samples, one for each of the six samples ofMaterial #1 and the six samples of Material #4. 1 cm² cadaver skin plugswere cored out of the treated skin samples and mounted in standardFranz-type diffusion cells (0.79 cm² surface area) maintained at about37° C. The receptor compartments were filled with 5 mL phosphatebuffered saline (PBS—pH 7.4) that included 1% polysorbate-20 and 0.02%sodium azide, and the skin was allowed to equilibrate for two hours. Thecells were randomized to treatment group based upon ³H₂O flux throughthe mounted skin (150 μL of ³H₂0 applied for five minutes, removed andfollowed by collection of receptor fluid after 60 minutes). Diffusioncells were randomized by ranking each cell according to water flux anddistributing cells across treatment legs such that each group includedcells across the range of observed water flux. Each treatment grouptypically had 6 replicates.

Aliquots of the test products/formulations were spiked with¹⁴C-niacinamide with approximately 3 μCi per 300 mg product aliquot,mixed and assayed for total radioactivity in triplicate using UltimaGold (available from Perkin-Elmer) liquid scintillation cocktail (LSC)and liquid scintillation counting (Tri-Carb 2500 TR Liquid ScintillationAnalyzer, PerkinElmer, Boston, Mass.). The skin samples were topicallydosed with 5 μL of the radio labeled niacinamide product using apositive displacement pipette. The product was gently spread over thesurface of the skin samples (0.79 cm²) using the pipet tip. The receptorsolution was collected and replaced at various time points followingapplication every 6 hrs with a final collection at 24 hours. After thefinal receptor collection, each skin sample was wiped two times withWhatman filter paper soaked with PBS/Tween 20 and once with 70%/30%ethanol/water to remove unabsorbed (residual) product. The epidermis wasseparated from the residual dermis by dissection. The skin sections weredissolved in 0.50-1.25 mL Soluene-350 (Perkin Elmer, Boston, Mass.) at60° C. overnight, and all receptor collections, filter paper wipes, andsolubilized tissue sections were counted using liquid scintillationcounting. Disintegrations-per-minute (dpm) for each compartment of eachcell were blank corrected and summed to obtain a total recoveredradiolabel value for a given cell. The dpm of each compartment were thennormalized to the total recovered radiolabel value to obtain a “percentrecovered radiolabel” parameter for each compartment (individualreceptor collections, epidermis, dermis, and wipes for mass balance).Cumulative receptor values for each collection time point werecalculated as the sum of the individual collections to that time point,with the total receptor value as the sum of all individual collections.The total skin value was the sum of the epidermis (including stratumcorneum) and dermis values, and the total permeated value the sum oftotal skin and cumulative receptor values. Tables 4 and 5 summarize theniacinamide recovery results. In addition to niacinamide recovery,protein recovery from three samples of Material #1 and Material #4 wasalso measured using generally the same procedure described in Example 2.A summary of the protein recovery data is provided in Tables 5 and 6.

EXAMPLE 4 Consumer Practices

This Example describes the investigation of consumer habits andpractices for applying cosmetic skin care compositions. In order toidentify exfoliating materials that are suitable for frequent use whilestill providing a sufficient level of exfoliation to enhance penetrationof skin care agents, it is useful to understand consumer habits andpractices with regard to the application of skin care products.Understanding how skin care products are applied in daily practiceinforms how (e.g., number of strokes, pressure, etc.) an exfoliatingdevice might be used by a typical user, which is useful, in turn, forassessing the in vitro effects of various abrasive materials. Sevenfemale test subjects were monitored while applying a skin carecomposition to their faces using four different application methods. Themethods included applying the composition using their fingers, applyingthe composition using a cotton surface, applying the composition using ahand held applicator, and applying the composition using a poweredapplicator. The number of strokes used during each application method,and the number of strokes used in various regions of the face (e.g.,cheeks, forehead, and chin) were observed. The amount of pressureapplied by the user was also measured using a pressure sensitive glove.From this study, it was found that consumer's typically utilize from 2to 10 strokes at a pressure from 50 g/cm² to 400 g/cm² when applying askin care composition to facial skin surfaces. In some instances, thenumber of strokes is from 7 to 10 and the pressure is from 100 g/cm² to300 g/cm².

The dimensions and values disclosed herein are not to be understood asbeing strictly limited to the exact numerical values recited. Instead,unless otherwise specified, each such dimension is intended to mean boththe recited value and a functionally equivalent range surrounding thatvalue. For example, a dimension disclosed as “40 mm” is intended to mean“about 40 mm.”

Every document cited herein is hereby incorporated herein by referencein its entirety unless expressly excluded or otherwise limited. Inaddition, U.S. Provisional App. No. 61/623,466 is incorporated byreference herein in its entirety. The citation of any document is not anadmission that it is prior art with respect to any invention disclosedor claimed herein or that it alone, or in any combination with any otherreference or references, teaches, suggests or discloses any suchinvention. Further, to the extent that any meaning or definition of aterm in this document conflicts with any meaning or definition of thesame term in a document incorporated by reference, the meaning ordefinition assigned to that term in this document shall govern.

While particular embodiments of the present invention have beenillustrated and described, it would be obvious to those skilled in theart that various other changes and modifications can be made withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the invention. It is thereforeintended to cover in the appended claims all such changes andmodifications that are within the scope of this invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A hand-held exfoliation device suitable forrepeated use on a facial skin surface, comprising: a. a body; and b. anexfoliating material attached to the body, the exfoliating materialbeing sized for application to the facial skin surface and including asubstrate and a plurality of particles attached to the substrate to formpeaks and valleys thereon, wherein the exfoliating material has anarithmetical mean height over a three dimensional surface S_(a) of fromabout 2 μm to about 16 μm and the particles have an average Mohshardness of from about 4 to about
 8. 2. The exfoliation device of claim1, wherein the plurality of particles have an average size from about0.25 μm to about 1 μm.
 3. The exfoliation device of claim 1, wherein theplurality of particles are irregularly shaped and randomly dispersed onthe substrate.
 4. The exfoliation device of claim 1, wherein some of theplurality of particles are agglomerated into larger formations.
 5. Theexfoliation device of claim 1, wherein the exfoliating material has aroot mean square height over a three dimensional surface S_(q) of fromabout 2 μm to about 16 μm.
 6. The exfoliation device of claim 1, whereinthe plurality of particles are bonded to the substrate by a bondingmeans selected from the group consisting of a binder and an adhesive. 7.The exfoliation device of claim 6, wherein the exfoliation materialcomprises an exfoliation surface that includes the particles and bindingmeans.
 8. The exfoliation device of claim 7, wherein the exfoliatingsurface is non-porous.
 9. The exfoliation device of claim 7, wherein theexfoliating surface is devoid of fibers.
 10. The exfoliation device ofclaim 1, wherein the plurality of particles comprise particles selectedfrom the group consisting of oxides, diamonds, zirconium alumina,silicon carbide, garnet, emery, cubic boron nitride, nut shells, andcombinations thereof.
 11. A skin care kit, comprising an exfoliationdevice according to claim 1 and a packaged skin care compositioncomprising a cosmetic skin care agent and a dermatologically acceptablecarrier.
 12. The skin care kit of claim 18, wherein the skin care agentis selected from the group consisting of skin whitening agents and skinanti-aging agents.
 13. A method of improving penetration of an agentinto a facial skin surface, comprising: a. contacting the facial skinsurface with a hand-held exfoliation device comprising a body and anexfoliating material attached thereto, the exfoliating materialcomprising a plurality of particles attached to a substrate to formpeaks and valleys thereon; and b. applying a cosmetic skin carecomposition to the facial skin surface contacted by the hand-heldexfoliation device, wherein the cosmetic skin care composition comprisesa skin care agent and a dermatologically acceptable carrier.
 14. Themethod of claim 1, wherein contacting the exfoliating device to thefacial skin surface occurs before applying the cosmetic skin carecomposition to the facial skin surface.
 15. The method of claim 1,wherein the facial skin surface comprises at least one of a cheek, chin,forehead, and peri-orbital skin surface.
 16. The method of claim 1,wherein the hand-held exfoliating device is contacted with the facialskin surface by applying a pressure of from about 20 g/m² to about 400g/m² for from 1 to about 10 strokes.
 17. The method of claim 4, whereinthe hand-held exfoliating device is contacted with the facial skin forfrom 3 seconds to about 60 seconds.
 18. The method of claim 1, whereinthe hand-held exfoliation device is contacted with the facial skinsurface at least once per day for at least 7 days.
 19. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the exfoliating material has an arithmetical meanheight over a three-dimensional surface S_(a) of from about 2 μm toabout 16 μm.
 20. The method of claim 1, wherein the particles have anaverage Mohs hardness of from about 4 to about 8.